Although the waters looks calm, if Banjo swims too far from shore in Treasure Trove Cove or within a fenced-in area in Rusty Bucket Bay, Snacker will appear from nowhere and chase him down while a signature piece of music plays, reminiscent of the Jaws theme.

Snacker swims a bit faster than Banjo can paddle, but he can be outrun by constantly jumping out of the water and using the Feathery Flap; the Beak Buster and the Rat-a-tat Rap are also effective deterrents when used against the shark while on the surface (although neither does damage). If Banjo can reach safe land, the shark will lose interest within a few seconds and disappear.

Snacker is a constant threat while swimming and is quite hard to get rid of, but it can be done. Lure Snacker close to land and attack him as soon as he is within range: eggs fired from Kazooie's backside will do some damage and will send the shark belly-up after a few repeated attempts, and jumping on his head with the Wonderwing will deliver an instant kill.

Defeating Snacker will yield 3 Honeycombs and make the waters safe for swimming for a short while, but Snacker will return after a minute or two, so make your time count.

Items that Snacker "guards" in Treasure Trove Cove include the Blue Jinjo and both of Treasure Trove Cove's Extra Honeycomb Pieces, while the one in Rusty Bucket Bay guards the Yellow Jinjo and the underwater entrance to a building containing an Extra Honeycomb Piece.

The Snacker in Treasure Trove Cove talks constantly about Banjo being his next meal, which itself can be more of an incentive to stay on land than the actual threat of being bitten.

The Snacker in Rusty Bucket Bay never speaks, although it otherwise behaves exactly the same.

In Terrarium of Terror, there is a banner on a ship that reads "Snacker's Loan - 500% A.P.R.," a play on the term "loan shark".

He is also visually similar to an enemy in Donkey Kong Country, called Chomps Jr.